Congratulations Mayor Windschitl

Let me offer my congratulations to Mark Windschitl on winning the Chaska Mayor Special Election last night.

Although I supported Jay Rohe, ultimately the great thing about Chaska is that most people share a vision of where this community needs to go, and now we all need to rally around the new Mayor and the Council to ensure that they take the actions that do move this community forward.

I encourage all Chaska residents to stay informed and involved.  The more we get involved, the better and more responsive the city will be to our concerns.

Jay Rohe for Mayor of Chaska

I will be voting for Jay Rohe in the Chaska Mayoral Special Election on January 19.  Let me tell you why.

This isn’t a knock on the other candidates.  They have long histories in Chaska.  They have many friends and relationships across the community.  They have contributed significantly to Chaska.  But the other candidates don’t project any real agenda they seek to pursue, both claiming they will “listen to the people” to guide what they do as Mayor.  Listening to the people is part of the job description, not a platform for action. 

This is an important time for Chaska.  We have a downtown that is struggling.  Major projects – such as the Heights of Chaska and Bio-Science Zone – will be built out over the next few years as the economy recovers.  Chaska needs a Mayor who has a clear vision of where this city needs to go and knows how to get us there.  Jay Rohe is the right candidate for the challenges we face right now.

Jay has built relationships with key decision-makers, not only within Chaska, but across the region and state in the numerous commissions he served on while on the City Council.  When Chaska faces issues that require support and resources from other governmental bodies, Jay is ready from day one to represent this city and advocate for the projects that are critical to our community.

Jay is committed to revitalizing downtown.  The city recently hired a consulting firm to help develop a Downtown Master Plan.  That’s an idea Jay had been pushing for years.  He’s the right candidate to lead that effort forward and implement the plan, because he’s already been in the trenches fighting to build a better downtown.

I didn’t agree with every decision Jay made on the City Council, and I may not agree with every decision he makes as Mayor.  But I can tell you that Jay approaches every issue with an open mind and gets to heart of every decision that comes before the Council.  He gives everyone a fair hearing.  When our neighborhood had an issue with a city project a couple of years ago, Jay was more responsive to our concerns than any other member of the Council – and Jay represents a different Ward!  With Jay Rohe as Mayor of Chaska, your voice will be heard.

The other candidates talk about listening and being responsive to the people of Chaska.  The other candidates talk about what they could do to move projects forward. 

But there’s only one candidate in this race who has a record of actually doing it.  And that candidate is Jay Rohe.  I encourage you to vote for Jay on January 19.

Two more candidates join the fray; field set at four for special election

On the last day of filing for the Chaska Mayor Special Election, two more candidates filed, setting the field at four.  The two new candidates are:

• Robert (Bob) Snyder — Snyder works for Positive Connections and has been involved in River City Days and the Boy Scouts in the past.
• Doug Williams — occupation unlisted, Williams lives on Audubon Road and says “I don’t need four years to freak up the town like those other Council members!”

Snyder and Williams join former Ward 4 Councilor Jay Rohe and former Chaska Cubs GM Mark Windschitl in the special election field.

The race is on! Windschitl files

Mark Windschitl filed his paperwork to enter the Special Election for Chaska Mayor on Friday afternoon.

Filing closes on Wednesday; no other additional candidates are expected at this time.  Former Ward 4 Councilor Jay Rohe is already in the race as well.

Still waiting on Windschitl; debates set

News on the mayoral special election:

• Mark Windschitl has still not apparently filed his paperwork to run in the special election.  It’s still expected to happen, though, before the filing period closes next week.
• Three debates for the mayoral candidates are set:  December 1 (11:00 a.m.) at Chaska High School for students and two debates open to the general public — December 2 (noon) at the Chaska Community Center Lodge and January 12 (7:00 p.m.) at Chaska City Hall.

Chaska Mayor Election: Moving Past “Vision” to “Action”

When talking about the needed attributes for the next Mayor of Chaska, we hear a lot of talk about “vision”.  In my seven years here in Chaska, I’ve heard every candidate for Mayor or City Council talk about their vision of Chaska.  And they all pretty much sound alike.  Everyone is interested — more or less — in advancing the same things.

Most people generally agree on what they want this city to be, and what they want this city to pursue — a more vibrant downtown, take care of traffic issues, responsibly manage the development of the Bio-Science Zone and the Heights of Chaska, continue the strong Park & Rec system, etc.. 

I suspect that if you had given Gary Van Eyll and Jay Rohe each a magic wand back in 2008 that would allow them to make the city of Chaska look how they would want it to look in 20 years, the results wouldn’t have been radically different.  The difference between Van Eyll and Rohe was — to me, anyway — more about how to get there as opposed to what the destination was.

However, since we don’t run government by magic wand, we need to move past defining the vision and see who the right person is to make sure that we achieve the vision.

Who’s going to be the right candidate to guide the creation of the downtown master plan and then marshal the resources to execute it successfully?

Who’s going to be the right candidate to have city government operate more transparently, with more accountability,  and actually embrace and encourage citizen input?

Who’s going to be the right candidate to make financial decisions with a long-term perspective?

Who’s going to be the right candidate to advocate for Chaska on a regional and state level to make sure that projects critical to our community are addressed?

Those are the questions that need to be answered.  It’s more about action than vision in my mind.

Jay Rohe and Mark Windschitl, the ball is in your court.  Show us you are more than vision — but that you can bring the needed action to Chaska.

Waiting on Windschitl

Jay Rohe has filed his papers to enter the Chaska Mayor special election.

Word on the street is that Mayor Pro Tem Chris Schulz will not run.

So, now, it seems we’re waiting on Mark Windschitl to determine if he is in the race.  All indications are that he is leaning toward entering the race.

My letter to the Council

Jim Aiken posted his letter the Council in the comments on the previous post.  Here’s the thoughts I sent to the Council earlier today.

 

Council Members: 

Thank you for holding last night’s worksession.  It was very informative.  As you asked to keep the discussion towards the informational rather than stating positions, I did not offer you my opinion during the meeting.  Instead, I offer it to you now. 

As you may be aware, I started a Facebook group for people who support a special election.   In less than a week, we have about 30 supporters.  I would like to make very clear to you that even though some of the people in the group have expressed a clear preference for who they would like to be the next Mayor, I AM NOT endorsing or supporting any candidate. This effort on my part is in no way designed to influence the fortunes of any particular person interested in being Chaska’s next Mayor.  I truly believe that a special election is the best option regardless of who the candidates are. 

I understand the concerns of those who prefer the appointment option.  I think many of them are legitimate, and reasonable people can disagree on what the best path forward is.  However, I still feel that a special election is best for the city.  Here’s why: 

The people deserve to select the Mayor, as it is the only position that is voted on city-wide.  The Mayor is a unique position as the only city-wide elected official.  They essentially are the face and voice of Chaska, and can play a critical role in rallying the city to a set of shared objectives.  Taking the decision about the Mayor position out of the hands of 24,000 and putting it in the hands of four individuals (even ones as qualified as yourselves) is not in the best interests of the city.  There may well be a smaller turnout in a special election.  However, I still think that even a low turnout election is more representative than allowing four individuals to decide the next Mayor.  In a special election, everyone will have the choice to vote or not.  With appointment, the people get to voice their opinion but have no real power.  I understand that there is a concern about whether certain candidates would have an advantage under an election scenario.  However, there will be nearly four months before a potential mid-January special election (assuming the ordinances can be passed concurrently), which does offer a fair opportunity to build a city-wide campaign.   

Having a elected Mayor allows the city to move forward with enhanced credibility.  There is still a significant amount of time left in the term and important work to be done.  Even though development activity over the next year is probably going to be at its lowest point in years, there is still much to do.  We all know the critical issues that still lie ahead, so I won’t repeat them here.  Having an elected Mayor is only going to lend the city’s efforts on these issues additional credibility.  I think it’s worth waiting until early next year to have five elected officials in our city government, as opposed to a scenario where you could have as many as two members of the Council in their current positions on the basis of appointment.  That is not a positive development, especially in a city where some people feel that decision-making is already too cloistered among a small group of people.  I don’t know if there’s an “old boys club” or not, but I do know that if there’s a substantial number of people who believe that is true, then you’ve got a problem anyway because perception becomes reality.  One need only look at the various issues in national politics where things that are not true can’t be debunked because they’ve taken on a life of their own.  Today, people believe what they want to believe.  Don’t feed the beast by making an appointment that is inevitably going to be viewed through a political lens no matter who is selected. 

The next Mayor needs to show they can engage, inspire, and involve the community.  When residents are engaged and involved, good things happen for the city.  In just the last couple of years, engaged residents have impacted several key projects, from Veterans Park to the new emergency room, just to name a few. Involved residents have raised important issues and proposed changes that make those projects better.  Yes, there’s been conflict along the way in each of those projects, but the end result has been better.  And that’s what is truly important.  Let’s give those people who want to be Mayor the chance to show that they have the ability to inspire and engage and involve the residents of Chaska.  Let’s make them prove to ALL of us that they are the ones best capable to take this city forward, and let’s give the people the chance to decide. 

Thanks for your consideration and your continued hard work for the citizens of Chaska.